Monday, November 23 at 10 p.m. – Homestretch: Racehorse Rescue

(Rochester, NY) – Homestretch: Racehorse Rescue, airing Monday, November 23 at 10 p.m. onWXXI-TV (DT21.1/cable1011/cable11), reaches out to lovers of horses and viewers who care about the lives and treatment of animals. This moving hour documents the fates of losing racehorses, often facing cruelty or slaughter, and jailed criminals, often lost and feeling hopeless. Both are in need of rehabilitation so they might return to society. By capturing the magic that grows between the two from the training and care the inmate provides the horse, the prisoners’ and horses’ lives are often transformed. We witness horse and man as they come to understand and value each other. We and our viewers become informed about the need for horse rescue and some ways these rescues can be effected. This bittersweet documentary tears at our hearts as it empowers us to seek remediation.

Every year, thousands of horses are bred and sold for millions of dollars each, in order to supply the massive racing industry. Despite the best pedigrees, training, and care, many horses fail to meet their owners’ expectations. These magnificent animals are reduced to “a loss” in an accounting ledger. Typically, these poor-earning and end-of-career racehorses meet with two terrible destinies: a trip to the slaughterhouse or the punishing two-bit racing circuit. Thanks to a few progressive politicians and prisons in New York, Oregon, and Kentucky, there is an alternative destiny: Lush, expansive, prison-owned farms, where end-of-term prisoners earn the privilege of caring for these noble animals. The peaceful surroundings help inmates and horses let go of the past, discover new sides of themselves and experience love.

Homestretch: Racehorse Rescue takes audiences behind the scenes of racetracks. It includes historical and contemporary racing footage, interviews with horse owners, trainers, and jockeys. “This film is extraordinary. Everyone should see this. It’s one of the best and most moving documentaries I’ve ever seen.” (Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit).

Photo Credit: Homestretchthemovie.com

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